Day of Atonement—2015

Fred R. Coulter—September 23, 2015

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Greetings, brethren, welcome to the Day of Atonement! As we say, time marches on! The Day of Atonement is a very important day for the world, for the Church and for God.

Lev. 23 is the foundation of all the Holy Days of God, and it lists them all out according the Calculated Hebrew Calendar. When we come to the Day of Atonement we're going to see how important this is. There are some other things that it teaches us, as well.

Leviticus 23:26: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying." As I've emphasized many times, everything that Moses wrote was what God told him to write. There is no such thing as the Law of Moses independent from God. So, that eliminates all of the traditions of Judaism.

There may be some few that adhere to the Word of God, so Moses only wrote and spoke what God told him to do. Remember the one time when he made the mistake? God told Moses to speak to the rock and he got angry because of the children of Israel and beat it with his rod! What did that cost him? He could not go into the 'promised land'! He could only see it.

It's very interesting when we look at those things that way. That is especially so concerning the Day of Atonement.

Verse 27: "Also, on the tenth day of this seventh month, is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a Holy convocation to you. And you shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD."

Today we don't make offerings by fire, because there is no temple or priesthood and we worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Christ is the Head of the Church. However, we are to give offerings to God. We are to give them when we come before God, especially on this Day of Atonement. This pictures, as we will see, getting rid of Satan the devil! After all, who has caused all the problems in this world? Satan the devil, indeed!

So, it's appropriate that we take up an offering on the Day of Atonement. We have a command right here: you shall "…offer an offering made by fire to the LORD."

You might figure that your job is kind of like under the fire, but at this time we'll take up the offering. Thank you for it and for your faithfulness in serving and loving God.

(pause for the offering)
Verse 28: "And you shall do no work in that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, in order to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God." Atonement means to have your sins covered. In the New Testament it means to be at one with God. The Hebrew is 'Yom Kippur' that means to cover.

Here is how important it is, v 29: "For whoever is not afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people." How does God cut people off from among His people? He doesn't kill them and destroy them!

• you don't receive the blessings from God

Just like if you don't keep the Sabbath and Holy Days, and Atonement in particular

• you are cut off the from the knowledge of God from among the people of God within the Church.

What happens? They go out into the world and become part of the world, and they are no longer a part of the Church!

Notice that again God talks about work, v 30: "And whoever does any work in that same day, the same one will I destroy from among his people…. [eventually that means the Lake of Fire] …You shall do no manner of work. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a Sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict yourselves…." (vs 30-32)—fasting without food and water (Psa. 35 and Ezra 8[transcriber's correction]).

Here is a specific command, and the reason that it is specific is because God wants to keep the Day of Atonement precisely on time. No human interpretations about when the evening comes. Some say it's when there are three stars or when it's beginning to get dark.

God says that it is at sunset! Notice how He defines the 10th day of the 7th month, which is the same principle on defining any of the days of God: "…In the ninth day of the month at sunset ['ba erev'], from sunset to sunset, you shall keep your Sabbath" (v 32).

What God is telling us is that specifically at sunset on the 9th day ['ba erev'] the 10th day begins. You are to observe this Sabbath—as well as all Sabbaths—from sunset to sunset.

What is 'ba erev'? The time it takes for the sun to touch the horizon until it goes below the horizon! When it's below the horizon 'ba erev' is finished. Everyone can look out and see when the sun goes down. If it's cloudy it's not quite as precise, but you should be able to determine when it is. Today they give sunrise and sunset times quite regularly, and we have it online on our website at cbcg.org

Here is a ritual that was done on the Day of Atonement once a year. This was the day that the high priest went into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the children of Israel.

Lev. 16—the first part is the instructions from God to Aaron that he wasn't to go into the Holy of Holies at any time. God made it clear that it was only on the Day of Atonement. Aaron was to dress in a certain way, offer offerings for himself and the Levites, and go in and sprinkle that on the Mercy Seat and then come out and then there was a very unusual ceremony that took place. This becomes important for us to understand because this tells us that the symbolism of taking two goats that were identical, that people on their own—without the knowledge of God and without God showing the difference—there is no way that human beings of themselves can understand the difference between Satan the devil and the true God.

Leviticus 16:7: "And he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots on the two goats; one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel…. [another name for Satan the devil] …And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer it for a sin offering" (vs 7-9)—for the atonement of the children of Israel.

Let's see what happens to the goat for Azazel, v 10: "But the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement upon it and sent away into the wilderness for Azazel." Let's see how this works. First of all, he was to make the atonement for the children of Israel.

Verse 15: "Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil. And he shall do with that blood as he did with the blood of the young bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. And he shall make an atonement for the sanctuary because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions in all their sins…." (vs 15-16).

Some have said in the past that the live goat pictured Christ taking our sins to heaven. No, He didn't take our sins to heaven. As we will see, never at any time in the entirety of the Bible is heaven called a wilderness. That's a place where Satan is! So, if all their sins are forgiven, they are forgiven, eliminated!

Verse 18: "And he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make an atonement for it. And he shall take of the blood of the young bull and of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. And he shall sprinkle of the blood on it with his finger seven times and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. And when he has made an end of reconciling the sanctuary and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the sins of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away by the hand of a chosen man into the wilderness" (vs 18-21).

Who is the author of sin? Satan the devil! He causes ALL sin! Christ was crucified and on Him fell all of the sins and His death atoned for all of those sins. Yes, He did ascend to heaven after He was resurrected, but there is no symbolism here of it. This is laying it on Azazel.

Verse 22: "And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities to a land in which no one lives…."

• Does God live in heaven? Yes, He does!
• Do the angels live in heaven? Yes, they do!
• Do Christ live in heaven? Yes, He does!

Here is a land not inhabited, "…And he shall let the goat go in the wilderness" (v 22). And when he gets out there:

Verse 26: "And he that let go the goat for Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp."

Verse 29: "And it shall be a statute forever to you: in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict your souls and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country or a stranger who is living among you, for on that day an atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you, so that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It shall be a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls, by a statute forever" (vs 29-31).

That's the whole ceremony of the Day of Atonement. That pictured the complete getting rid of sin. When we come to Rev. 20 we will see the fulfillment of the goat for Azazel and the putting away of Satan during the Millennium. Then after the Feast of Tabernacles, the last day of the Feast, then we will see the final fate for Satan the devil, because for the Last Great Day Satan is not going to be around. All those people who will be in the second resurrection have already lived one life under Satan the devil, and don't you think that's quite sufficient? God does!

Let's see how all of this began. What this tells us is that human beings do not know. Only God can show the difference between Himself and the 'god of this world.' Let's see how Satan became 'the god of this world.'

Isa. 14 is the example of pride, arrogance, usurping authority and power, taking to oneself—as Satan did—and we know that he took a third of the angels with him (Rev. 12). The 'great dragon took a third part of the stars with him and cast them to the ground and there was war.' Here is how the war started, because Satan the devil, before he became Satan, was to be a light-bringer and teach human beings. But when he found out that human beings were going to become as God is God, he rebelled because he thought he would be better than human beings. Why should they become as God is God when he was right there as a cherub over the throne of God and had glory and beauty.

Isaiah 14:12: "How you are fallen from the heavens, O shining star…"

Luke 10:18: "And He [Jesus] said to them, 'I was watching when Satan fell from heaven like lightning.'"

Isaiah 14:12: "…son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!" Yes, he did! Look at all the world and mankind today; look at how it is with Satan the devil ruling.

Here's what his pride did, v 13: "For you have said in your heart, 'I will ascend into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… [be over all the angels of God; rule the universe myself] …I will also sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north…. [God's very throne] …I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High'" (vs 13-14).

Think of this rebellion right against God the Father, in the face of God the Father, that's why He's going to have reserved for Satan the 'blackest darkness forever.' God is not going to forgive him; there is no repentance, no changing him into a human being to get rid of him. That is a satanic lie!

Ezekiel 28:14: "You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I set you so; you were upon the Holy mountain of God… [right there with God] …you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you" (vs 14-15). We read what that iniquity was: absolute rebellion against God! And the angels that went with Satan became demons.

Verse 16: "By the multitude of your merchandise they have filled your midst with violence, and you have sinned. Therefore, I will cast you as profane from the mountain of God, and I will destroy you, O covering cherub, from among the stones of fire." That means to remove him permanently from among the stones of fire. God is not going to destroy him. We'll see that on the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Now let's see how he became the 'god of this world' over human beings. It also shows us something very important about Satan the devil. Satan is always there at the highest level he can get to cause sin and trouble. With the creation of Adam and Eve, that was the highest level of human beings who were directly in contact with their Creator in the Garden of Eden. They walked with Him, they talked with Him and He taught them.

One thing we don't know and we're not told is how long it was that they lived with God in the Garden of Eden before Satan was released to tempt them. God gives free moral agency and God wants us, of our own will, to choose Him! He doesn't want us becoming like Satan the devil. We have a sermon: What Would the World have been Like IF Adam and Eve had not Sinned? It would have been an entirely different place—wouldn't it?

Nevertheless, God is going to accomplish His purpose. And there's one thing He's going to make sure, there will be no rebellion after the plan with human beings is finished—none!

Genesis 3:1: "Now, the serpent was more cunning than any creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Is it true that God has said, "You shall not eat of any tree of the garden"?'" Of course, he knew that was a lie! He is the 'father of lies.'

Eve had to correct him, v 2: "And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may freely eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has indeed said, "You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die"'" (vs 2-3). This was a further instruction by God from the time that Adam and Eve were created until the time of the releasing of Satan the devil to test them.

Verse 4: "And the serpent said to the woman, 'In dying, you shall not surely die!'" Another lie!

Let's see why it was probably so inviting to sin, even though they were dwelling right there with God. We know from the account of Moses wanting to see the glory of God that no human being can be in the presence of God in His glorified form and live. So, this tells us that God appeared to Adam and Eve more like in the human form. They knew He was God, and they talked with Him and He instructed them. I wonder how many fabulous things that He taught them and learned before they sinned.

Therefore, it would be easier for them to think that if you become like God you're not thinking of Him in His glory and His power. But as Adam and Eve saw Him in the human form.

Verse 5: "For God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like God, deciding good and evil." They didn't like God in any other way, except to decide for themselves and make the choice themselves instead of looking to the Word of God and making their choice based on the Word of God.

When Jesus came, what did He say of Himself? I of My own self can do nothing, but I do the will of My Father Who is in heaven! That should have been the answer of Adam and Eve: 'Oh, we don't do anything except as God has told us. Within that parameter we live and move.' So, Eve began deciding for herself.

Verse 6: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." Quite a thing!

Yes, their eyes were opened, but to see evil! Not to decide right from wrong, v 7: "And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." It doesn't tell us everything that Satan induced them to do. But it brought upon them the consciousness of sin and that they had sinned!

Romans 5:12: "Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world…" Eve was deceived (1-Tim.); however, Adam could have stopped the whole thing if he would have said, 'Eve, what are you doing? Don't pick the fruit!' And if she picked it, 'Throw it down! God has told us not to eat it, not to touch it. You have gone against God!' But Adam didn't do that. He ate the fruit.

Genesis 3:7: "And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Then Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden" (vs 7-8). You're not going to hide from God! There's no way!

Then you know what happened, they had their judgment. Satan has his, Eve had hers and Adam had his. With that something else happened in addition to being put out of the Garden of Eden: They rejected God as their God at that time and listened to Satan the devil! We find something very interesting concerning that. Let's see what Satan is called after that, because with that age, the age of man, let's see exactly what happened there.

We know that we are not to let Satan get any advantage over us in anything. But Paul brings out something very important concerning Satan the devil, though Paul doesn't call him that right here:

2-Corinthians 4:1: "Therefore, having this ministry, according as we have received mercy, we are not fainthearted. For we have personally renounced the hidden things of dishonest gain…" (vs 1-2). Renouncing Satan's way.

Isn't that what Satan always does? Dishonest gain? Yes, indeed! Look at the whole financial system of the world, if that doesn't tell you something.

"…not walking in cunning craftiness…" (v 2). Who was more cunning than any of the other things of God's creation? Satan!

"…nor handling the Word of God deceitfully…" (v 2). That's exactly what Satan did. He changed the Word of God and Adam and Eve believed it. God said, 'Don't eat it.' Satan said, 'Well, if you eat you'll really get a benefit!'

"…but by manifestation of the Truth, we are commending ourselves to every man's conscience before God. But if our Gospel is hidden…" (vs 2-3). The Gospel is:

• the Truth of the plan of God
• the Word of God
• the Scriptures of God

given to man so man will know how to live.

"…it is hidden to those who are perishing" (v 3). Just like it is in the world. They don't understand God's way. They don't understand the Truth. They have the Bible and some things of it, but if you're only 90% correct you're going to miss the mark!

If you were a baseball player and you had a 900 average you would be the king of baseball. But that's not the way it is with God. We have to become perfect, and we only become perfect through Christ. We only overcome sin and Satan the devil through Jesus Christ, His shed blood and His sacrifice, and His Spirit in us so that we follow the Truth and choose the Truth!

The world is perishing; v 4: "In whom the god of this age…"—from the age of Adam to the age of the second return of Christ. He is the 'god of this world.' Any time people sin and go against God, they are honoring 'the god of this world!'

Who "…has blinded the minds of those who do not believe…" (v 4). Did he blind the minds of Eve and Adam? Yes!

"…lest the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we do not preach our own selves…" (vs 4-5). What does Satan preach? Himself!

Paul speaks about it again and brings out concerning Satan and about false apostles, false ministers and that Satan appears as an angel of light.' Here is the fear. We're also going to see where Satan was on Jesus' last Passover; right at the beginning of it in the person of Judas Iscariot whom Satan possessed! Satan likes to get right in there!

• Have we experienced that in our church life? Almost all of us have!
• What happened in Pasadena (WCG)? I'll let you provide the rest of the story!

2-Corinthians 11:2: "For I am jealous over you with the jealousy of God because I have espoused you to one husband, so that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means…"—any way. This is why we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as well; because a little leaven—which represents sin during the Days of Unleavened Bread—leavens the whole lump! Satan starts out friendly, bringing a benefit, giving things, promising things:

"…as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (v 3). When you get down to it, though there are some things hard to understand, it's really very simple and gets down to three words: Obey My voice! We can add five words to it: Do the will of God!

Notice what happens. Just like God uses people, Satan uses people, v 4: "For indeed, if someone comes preaching another Jesus…" I tell you what, every 'Jesus' out there in the 'Christianity' of this world is another Jesus! How can it be the true Jesus when they keep Sunday and the holidays? It can't be! It's a counterfeit!

"…whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit…" (v 4). Yes, Satan will give spirits to be with you. He can't give you anything like the Holy Spirit, but he can influence people; he can send demons. They will come with a lot of nicey-nicey things.

"…which you did not receive, or a different gospel, which you did not accept, you put up with it as something good" (v 4). Oh yes! That sounds interesting; that sounds inspiring; that sounds good! Today we're going to be confronted with it. Today we are going to be confronted with it as never before. The whole world is going to worship Satan (Rev. 13). It's going to be unimaginable! Persuasive! Powerful! The false prophet is going to verify that the beast is 'God in the flesh' by calling down fire from heaven! Won't that be convincing? Yes, indeed!

Verse 5: "But I consider myself in no way inferior to those highly exalted so-called apostles." The chief one is the pope of Rome today! Paul tells us about these false teachers. Remember, all throughout the history of the church they had false teachers, false apostles, liars, false doctrines, and we're still confronted with those today.

Verse 13: "For such are false apostles—deceitful workers who are transforming themselves into apostles of Christ." They are not apostles of Christ! The Church at Ephesus was commended for testing those who claimed to be apostles and were not, but found them liars! We've experienced that within the Church.

Verse 14: "And it is no marvel, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his servants also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness—whose end shall be according to their works" (vs 14-15). That's the way that it is in the world today.

(go the next track)

Let's see the encounter Jesus had with the leaders, even the priests, at the temple You would think that the place where there would be truth and peace, righteousness and goodness, would be at the temple of God in Jerusalem. Remember, Satan likes to get up very high. He wanted to get above the stars of God—that is all the angels—and he wanted to sit in the seat of the Most High.

Well, let's find out what he did to the temple in Jerusalem, where God put His name and His presence. This is after He told them, 'I AM' and they understood what that meant:

John 8:31: "Therefore, Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, 'If you continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples.'" That also means there are false disciples. The Bible tells us so much it's incredible!

Verse 32: "'And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.'"

• the Word of God is Truth
• Jesus is the true disciple
• all of His commandments are true
• all of His statutes are true
• all of His precepts are true from the beginning

Verse 33: "They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's seed, and have never been in bondage to anyone. What do You mean by saying, "You shall become free"?'" They didn't understand that they have to be free from Satan the devil.

Verse 34: "Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a servant of sin. And the servant does not live in the house forever; but the Son lives forever. Therefore, if the Son shall set you free, you shall truly be free'" (vs 34-36).

They didn't understand that He was talking about sin and Satan. They thought that they were worshiping the true God. What happened? Satan infiltrated and he gained control! Yet, they thought—because they were Abraham's seed—that everything was just fine.

Verse 37: "I know that you are Abraham's seed; but you are seeking to kill Me, because My words do not enter into your minds." Think about that! What do people say when you let them really know some of the Truth. It doesn't register. It doesn't go into their mind. Why? Because they are of this world, and they are of Satan the devil! They may not be possessed; they may not be literally worshiping Satan all the time, but they're following his world, and he's the 'god of this world,' so therefore, they're his servants.

Verse 38: "I speak the things that I have seen from My Father, and you do the things that you have seen from your father…. [Who is that?] …They answered and said to Him, 'Our father is Abraham.' Jesus said to them, 'If you were Abraham's children…'" (vs 38-39). Notice the difference between children and seed:Seed are the descendants; children are those who belong to Christ.

"…you would do the works of Abraham" (v 39).

• Was Abraham saved? Yes!
• Is he going to be in the Kingdom of God? Yes!
• How does that square with faith without works? Not very well, but it squares with faith and works, based on faith!

That's what Abraham did.

Verse 40: "'But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has spoken the Truth to you, which I have heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father.' Then they said to Him, 'We have not been born of fornication. We have one Father, and that is God'" (vs 40-41). So, they knew all about the circumstances of Jesus' birth.
Verse 42: "Therefore, Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I proceeded forth and came from God. For I have not come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why don't you understand My speech? Because you cannot bear to hear My words…. [they surely did not like to hear this]: …You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you desire to practice. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the Truth because there is no Truth in him…. [any Truth he speaks he perverts, as the rest of the Bible tells us] …Whenever he speaks a lie, he is speaking from his own self; for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I speak the Truth, you do not believe Me'" (vs 42-45). That's really straightforward, and Jesus knew that this was true. Jesus was the Lord God of the Old Testament.

Let's see what Jesus had to do to overcome Satan the devil. Also, it's quite interesting that when Jesus was tempted of Satan this was on the Day of Atonement and a Jubilee Year, as well. That was the year of which there was release and liberty. Note this: That Day of Atonement was on a Wednesday. How about that? Just like it is this year!

Jesus was probably baptized on the first day of the week, maybe on a Monday, then He went into the wilderness and the Day of Atonement began Tuesday night.

Matthew 4:1: "Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit in order to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was famished" (vs 1-2). This becomes very important because Jesus Christ overcame Satan the devil through three things:

• the temptation here
• everything that He taught and was faithful to God the Father all the time
• His death is the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world

This had to be personal. Could God in the flesh…" As God Jesus could have overcome Satan at any time. As an angel God could prevail over Satan. But as man… Since He was the Creator of all mankind this temptation became very important, because it was the beginning of what would become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. The first thing He had to do was overcome Satan the devil.

Verse 3: "And when the tempter came to Him, he said, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'" Appealing to any pride that was in Jesus. Jesus could have said, 'Yeah, I'm the Son of God, I can do that, watch!' Then He would have disobeyed the Father. He would have receive a benefit from Satan, because He would have had bread to eat. But He would have sinned against God the Father and could no longer be a Savior to us. He had to—though He carried 'the law of sin and death' within Him—not sin once!

Verse 4: "But He answered and said, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."'" That's what Adam and Eve did not do! That's what all mankind has not done! It takes God to intervene to redeem us from Satan the devil! We can't do it of ourselves. "…every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

How does that square with what you—when you were a Protestant—were told that the Law has been done away? Who did all the speaking of that? Those who say the Law is done away would say, 'If we believe Jesus and what He teaches…' But the Law is done away? Who was Jesus before He became man in the flesh? The God of the Old Testament! How are they going to square that around? They cannot do it!

You can never have a lie fit the Truth, and you can never make the Truth become a lie! Truth is truth!

Verse 5: "Then the devil took Him to the Holy city and set Him upon the edge of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down; for it is written, "He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and they shall bear You up in their hands, lest You strike Your foot against a stone"'" (vs 5-6). Isn't that great? That would be a marvelous thing, indeed. 'Why don't You do it, Jesus? If You did it, maybe You would convince all these scribes and Pharisees and priests that You are really the Son of God.'

Verse 7: "Jesus said to him, 'Again, it is written, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God."'" Because even if God says that the angels will protect you, you don't go out and stand in front of a train coming at you at 80 mph and expect God to deliver you!

Verse 8: "After that, the devil took Him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory." What was going to be the thing that Jesus was going to qualify to be? Not only our Savior, but to be King and ruler of the world! Satan was coming along and saying, 'I'll give you a shortcut right now. I'll help you with that.' Kind of like 'you'll be saved now, once saved always saved' and it doesn't matter what you do after that. Satan "…showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory"—in a moment in time.

Notice what that requires, v 9: "And said to Him, 'All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me.'" That would be something! Think on that! Of course, Satan is not God! Jesus would not worship him, and that's why you cannot mix the religions of this world with the Truth of God. That is satanic!

Let's add one thing here; if ruling the world and the glory of all the kingdoms of the world and the wealth of it belong to Satan the devil, whom do you believe worships Satan the devil to receive that? The elite of the world! The super-elite! Those who are the extraordinary wealthy and control the world! There may be some people who get wealth correctly, and they're not worshiping Satan the devil. But they would be very few.

Verse 10: "Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve."' Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and ministered to Him" (vs 10-11).

Why? Because He was so absolutely weak as a human being that they had to help Him! That's what Jesus did to overcome Satan the devil and to qualify to be the Lamb of God to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world so that we can have our sins forgiven and that we can overcome Satan, too.

Let's see something that's part of the prayer, how we are to pray, Matthew 6:9: "Therefore, you are to pray after this manner: 'Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.'" Holy is the name of God! No one else is! No man is! The only part of us that can be Holy—since we are called Holy saints—is because we have the Holy Spirit of God in us.

Verse 10: "Your kingdom come…"—the first thing we're to look to always; that also means the rule of God in your life everyday!

"…Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one…." (vs 10-13). God rescues us from the evil one.

Satan is there to try and get us, but God is the One Who has rescued us! Let's see how important that this is.

Colossians 1:9: "For this cause we also, from the day that we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." That's where all understanding comes from, from God through His Spirit.
Also notice what we have to do after that, v 10: "That you may walk worthily of the Lord…" Let's understand that you can't "…walk worthily of the Lord…" unless you have the knowledge of His will, wisdom and understanding. The reason that Paul brings this out is because the will of Satan the devil, with his perverted wisdom, philosophies and understanding is what he tried to get the Colossians to adhere to.

"…unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, unto all endurance and long-suffering with joy" (vs 10-11). That's how we need to look at the salvation of God and what He has called us to, even though we may face a lot of difficult situations and unpleasant times.

Verse 12: "Giving thanks to the Father, Who has made us qualified for the share of the inheritance of the saints in the Light." God is the One Who qualifies us for the Kingdom of God:

• with His Spirit
• with the Spirit of Christ
• with His Word
• with His Truth
• with His knowledge
• with His understanding

Today how much more can we do it than they did back then?

• we have the whole Old Testament
• we have the whole New Testament
• we have all the Bible helps
• we have all the Bible studies
• we have been able to prove what is true, right and good
• we know the Word of God is true
• we have been able to have it in a form that represents the Truth as it was written by the apostles

That gives us a lot that we can work with and all of this is provided by God! Yes, He's used men, and He has delivered us from Satan the devil.

Verse 13: "Who has personally… [God the Father] …rescued us from the power of darkness… [Satan is the power of darkness] …and has transferred us unto the kingdom of the Son of His love." We are under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of God through the power of His Holy Spirit.

Col. 2 is one of those very difficult chapters, but I'm not going to go through an explanation of this. {note sermon series Epistle of Paul to the Colossians} we need to understand that Satan was working through philosophies of men that came from none other than Satan himself.

Colossians 2:1: "Now, I want you to understand what great concern I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the knowledge of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (vs 1-3).

We are complete in Christ in that way! Notice that Paul gives a warning, because they were having trouble with Greek philosophies and philosophers.

Verse 4: "Now, this I say so that no one may deceive you by persuasive speech…. [trying to deceive them] …For though I am indeed absent in the flesh, yet, I am with you in spirit, rejoicing and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, be walking in Him" (vs 4-6). 

• walking in His ways
• walking after His commandments
• doing the Truth that God wants to be done
• not getting wrapped up in philosophies
• not getting wrapped up in Satan the devil

and he comes along with the biggest things that he has:

• 15th Passover
• false calendars
• wrong day on Pentecost
• wrong day on the resurrection

Some of those may be misunderstandings, but especially the one concerning the calendar, that comes straight from Satan the devil to get you to not keep the Holy Days and Sabbath of God the way that they should be kept.

This one of the 'lunar Sabbath calendar': the new moon is a weekly Sabbath and the weekly Sabbath is, regardless of which day it is, when the new moon falls. That completely blows people away from God entirely. If you don't believe that, just wait, watch and see.

Remember: a little leaven leavens the whole lump! Satan comes after us to try and get us to believe things that are absolutely demonic! It is a lie with shades of truth in there, though Satan doesn't speak the truth. The lie corrupts it and then the next lie comes, and then the next lie comes. That's how Satan works. That's why Jesus had to do what He did to overcome Satan the devil so that we could receive forgiveness of sin and receive the Holy Spirit of God!
To the end Satan wanted to get rid of Christ. Who was it that betrayed Christ? None other than Satan the devil in the body of Judas Iscariot! Who was it that sent Christ to the Romans to be killed? None other than the priests! Whom Jesus said 'were serving their father the devil' instead of God.

This is what you would call 'high stakes' for control of the whole universe!

Let's read Paul's warning, v 7: "Being rooted and built up in Him, and being confirmed in the faith, exactly as you were taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Be on guard so that no one takes you captive… [away from God] …through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ" (vs 7-11).

Read the rest of the chapter and it is the philosophies of worshiping fallen angels! That's what they were battling! That's what they were following!

Let's see what also is going around in the world today, and in 'Christianity.' It was back then, and everything comes in cycles and repeated; likewise with the things of Satan the devil. Now he's out there making sure that he's going to control the whole world. The next great thing that is going to cause it to happen will be the collapse of all the banks in the world.

1-Timothy 4:1: "Now, the Spirit tells us explicitly that in the latter times some shall apostatize from the faith… [that has always been happening] …and shall follow deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons."

• Where do you think all of these things come from? all of the evil? all of the hatred?
• Where do you think this thing concerning the selling of body parts of aborted fetuses came from?
• Right from the very depths of the cauldron of Satan the devil!

Verse 2: "Speaking lies in hypocrisy, their consciences having been cauterized with a hot iron." I tell you, to tear apart those unborn infants and brutalize them and sell their parts, your heart has been seared with a hot iron, and your conscience may be nigh on to being irredeemable!

Satan is also after the Church! He is out after us! This is why today we have to stay close to God. Satan has not been put away. He must be put away, and we are going to go through some very difficult times and we have to stand fast with God!

1-Peter 5:6: "Be humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt you in due time." The due time of exaltation is the resurrection!

Verse 7: "Casting all your cares upon Him… [you have troubles, problems, cares, difficulties] …because He cares for you."

• He loves you
• He has called you
• He has given you His Spirit

Verse 8: "Be sober! Be vigilant! For your adversary the devil is prowling about as a roaring lion, seeking anyone he may devour." What do they look for?

• the weak
• the sick
• the infirm
• easy targets

As Paul said that if you're strong in the Lord—which is what we need to be—we can overcome the devices of Satan the devil (Eph. 6).

Verse 9: "Whom resist, steadfast in the faith… [that's how you resist Satan] …knowing that the same afflictions are being fulfilled among your brethren who are in the world. Now, may the God of all grace, Who has called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, Himself perfect you, establish, strengthen, and settle you" (vs 9-10). That's where our strength comes from:

• with God's Spirit
• with God's love
• with God's Truth

The only way to combat it in this world that is being overcome with Satan the devil is with God's Spirit and relying upon Him in every way in everything. We will see that Satan the devil is active. The persecution that is coming and is against those in Smyrna, Christ says of them:

Revelation 2:9: "…those who declare themselves to be Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." Satan is there, and he uses other people and circumstances. Today he uses the media, all means of the media and the printed word; all means of entertainment, as well.

Look at the Church at Pergamos and the problems that they had. Where were they? Christ says to the Church at Pergamos:

Verse 13: "I know your works and where you dwell, where the throne of Satan is… [they had faith for a while, as long as] …Antipas was My faithful witness…" was living. But after that they inculcated the sacrifice to idols, which was the beginning of the Eucharist and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which was the hierarchical form of church government. Where is that most prominently manifested today? In the Church of Rome, the hierarchical Catholic Church!

Not satisfied with that, Satan comes along with false doctrines, false teachings. In this case, it is the consort of Satan: Jezebel (Church at Thyatira):

Verse 20: "But I have a few things against you, because you allow the woman Jezebel… [who became the Catholic Church] …who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants into committing fornication and eating things sacrificed to idols."

Satan wants to get the true people of God away from the Passover in any way he can. The sacrifice of the Mass, called the Eucharist, is a counterfeit of the Passover and is pure satanism, completely! They are not offering to God.

Verse 21: "And I gave her time to repent of her fornication, but she did not repent."

Verse 23: "And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He Who searches the reins and hearts; and I will give to each of you according to your works." God is testing and trying us.

• Will we love God?
• Will we be faithful to God?
• Will we trust in Him?
• Will we handle the Word of God truthfully?

or

• Will we get lifted up with pride and forget that there is nothing that we have that we didn't receive?
• Will we forget that in God we live, move and have our being?

• It's not because of us
• It's not because of who we are
• It's because of Who God is!

Remember this, and this will always help us keep humble: We were once just a speck of dust!

• What we are, God has made!
• What we will become, God is building!

Verse 24: "But to you I say, and to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will not cast upon you any other burden."
Then the Church at Philadelphia (Rev. 3): God is going to make the synagogue of Satan come and worship before their feet. So, Satan is right there. Satan has:

• many demons
• many agents
• many ministers
• many people

To be a true Christian in this world today is a great challenge, and at times a great struggle. But look at what Jesus Christ did for us to overcome Satan the devil.

Now then, to begin the Millennium God is going to remove Satan the devil and here is the fulfillment of what we saw in Lev. 16 of the 'strong man taking the goat for Azazel out to the wilderness.' And, in this case, he's going to be put into the abyss. That's worse than a wilderness.

Revelation 20:1: "Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. And he took hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years" (vs 1-2).

Think of what we have to undo when we come back to the earth with Christ to set up the Kingdom of God. What a great challenge! What a fantastic work! Satan the devil won't be here. Just think of all the joy, happiness, peace, love and goodness that we're going to be able to bring to all of the survivors who get through the Great Tribulation, so that they can recover from the trauma of all the wars and the fighting between God and Satan and the angels, the trumpet plagues, the seven last plagues, the six seals and all that went on. Just think how much the earth has to be cleansed.

Brethren, keep that in mind as we go to the Feast of Tabernacles after this Day of Atonement. This is the meaning of the Day of Atonement!

Scriptural References:

• Leviticus 23:26-32
• Leviticus 16:7-10, 15-16, 18-22, 26, 29-31
• Isaiah 14:12
• Luke 10:18
• Isaiah 14:12-14
• Ezekiel 28:14-16
• Genesis 3:1-7
• Romans 5:12
• Genesis 3:7-8
• 2 Corinthians 4:1-5
• 2 Corinthians 11:1-5, 13-15
• John 8:31-45
• Matthew 4:1-11
• Matthew 6:9-13
• Colossians 1:9-13
• Colossians 2:1-11
• 1 Timothy 4:1-2
• 1 Peter 5:6-10
• Revelation 2:9, 13, 20-21, 23
• Revelation 20:1-2

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Psalm 35
• Ezra 8
• Revelation 12; 13
• Ephesians 6
• Revelation 3

Also referenced:

• Sermon: What Would the World have been Like IF Adam and Eve had not Sinned?
• Sermon Series: Epistle of Paul to the Colossians

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 8/16/15
Corrected: 9/24/15

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